Political California is fixated on the rapidly developing contests for high-profile offices, particularly what appears to be a looming slugfest between Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown for a governorship that will be dominated by the state’s chronic budget crisis.

A new Field Research Corp. poll implies the duel for the GOP nomination between Whitman and Steve Poizner may be yesterday’s news. She did well in a debate Monday between the two, and the Field Poll – taken before the debate – found she now holds a nearly 5-1 lead over Poizner among Republicans, 63 percent to 14 percent.

That’s not surprising, but Field’s poll also found that Whitman’s multimillion-dollar advertising blitz has lifted her over Brown by three percentage points, thanks not only to overwhelming Republican support but also a majority of independents and a strong component of Democrats. She even leads Brown in L.A. County.

The poll indicates Whitman may be able to take her nomination for granted and shift her focus to the contest with Brown, perhaps by edging toward the middle of the ideological road and bolstering her standing among independents.

If Whitman shifts gears, it would present Brown and the unions and other groups contemplating “independent expenditures” on his behalf with a dilemma. Should they begin spending to meet the Whitman challenge, engaging in a political arms race that could exhaust their resources, or save their fire and money for later in the year?

Poizner, in effect, opted for the latter strategy and has found himself overwhelmed by Whitman’s media barrage.

Meanwhile, a developing stalemate on the budget deficit implies that it will dominate the Capitol, and therefore the media consciousness, for the remainder of the year. The next governor, whoever he or she may be, will find the stubborn deficit still awaiting resolution after next January’s inauguration – and the conflicts that are very apparent in the Capitol now, largely between spending cuts on one hand and closing tax loopholes or otherwise increasing revenues on the other, will still be evident nine months hence.

Brown, Whitman – and Poizner, for that matter – have been very unspecific on how a chronic, $20 billion gap should be closed. But it’s the 800-pound gorilla of Capitol politics, and they can’t ignore it forever.